Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I might remind the Minister there was never a need to buy additional land in Waterford. We already had three sites with planning permission that could have been developed. I have seen how Government can walk through walls since I have come in here. I saw it when Deputy McHugh moved forward the public private partnership, PPP, for the Munster Technological University MTU. I have seen two buildings now delivered at €106 million each to University College Cork, UCC, and another €56 million given to the MTU in Cork and nothing done in the south east at this time. The Minister has no problem committing dozens of millions of euro to other projects, but not to Waterford.

I have asked for nearly two years what we will get out of this. Essentially, the Minister is signally his intent all the time. Expectations are very high now in Waterford, largely because the Minister has raised them, to be fair. If the Minister comes down next week with the Tánaiste and if the breadth of their ambition is not €250 million over three years, as I said before, then they will not do anything to halt a brain drain. The Minister is creating no exceptionalism for this and will have broken promises, yet again, to the people of Waterford and the south east. I hope that will not happen, but I think it may. I do not sense any great commitment here, to be honest, or any straight answers that we can expect that quantum of money.

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